An Honest Moment
by SamanthaLisaWalkerfan101
Summary: Chuck and Sarah. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've got a case of writer's block. I can't seem to write anything for The Date, but this idea popped into my head. Tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, Geico, Discovery Channel, or Grey's Anatomy.**

Sarah and Chuck happened to both have off from work. And at the moment they were engaged in a battle of wits and strength. They were also acting quite childish.

"Chuck, give me the remote!" Sarah said as she tried to remove the object from his grasp.

"No," he said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because," he said with a devilish grin.

"'Because' is not a reason," Sarah said, as she grinned back.

"Well, why should I give it to you?" Chuck asked.

"Because, I'm your girlfriend," she teased him with the notion, and hoped she would be rewarded with the remote.

"I don't care," he scoffed.

The statement didn't faze Sarah one bit. "Yes, you do!" she exclaimed without hesitation.

Chuck didn't take the bait. "I would if you happened to be my _real_ girlfriend," Chuck said. "But since we're not really a couple I don't see why I have to give you the remote."

"Why do you need it?" asked Sarah trying to deflect attention from the relationship the two shared.

"To control the television," Chuck said matter-of-factly. "That is why it's called a remote control, so I can control the TV from my remote spot on the couch."

"Smarty pants," Sarah said adding,"and the couch is not a remote place."

"Why do you want it?" asked Chuck.

"Because I want to watch something," she vaguely replied.

"What?" he asked.

"What do you want to watch?" asked Sarah not really wanting to tell him what she preferred to watch on her days off.

"I asked you first," Chuck said, fishing for something, anything real about Sarah.

"_Grey's Anatomy_," she mumbled under her breath reluctantly.

"Huh?" he asked.

"_Grey's Anatomy_," she said a little bit louder.

"Too bad," he said. "Ellie likes that show, but she's not here. _I'm _going to watch a special on _Discovery Channel_ about penguins."

"You and your stupid penguins," Sarah said.

"Penguins are not stupid," Chuck said.

"They're just a bunch of birds," Sarah said. "_Grey's Anatomy_ is so much better."

"Why?" Chuck asked. "It's just about a bunch of doctors and their messed up personal lives."

"Yeah, but it's a good show," Sarah said. "I mean Meredith and Derek seem to belong together, but they have all of these obstacles."

"Like what?" Chuck asked with curiosity.

"Like Derek's ex. She comes in and turns out that she's not even his ex. They never officially broke up. She just cheated on him. Then we find out that the person Addison, Derek's ex, cheated on Derek with was Mark his best friend." Sarah said. "Then Mark comes to Seattle and makes a pass at Meredith. After that Derek gets back together with Addison and Meredith starts dating their dog's vet. It's just so frustrating, because you really want Meredith and Derek together."

"If we got a dog, the show would be somewhat similar to our life," Chuck said mostly to himself.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing," Chuck was resolved. "Fine you can watch your show."

He handed Sarah the remote which she gladly took.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down.

Chuck sat too, but just after Sarah got comfortable, he got up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To make some popcorn," Chuck said. "Do you want anything?"

"No," she said as she settled back down.

"I think we're all out of 'no', but I'll look anyway," Chuck said with a smile as he walked towards the kitchen.

Sarah would have made some comment, but the show had started.

When Chuck got back, he found Sarah wrapped up in what appeared to be the show at first glance. Closer inspection proved that it was only a Geico commercial.

"You really take your television watching seriously," Chuck said as he sat down. "I wonder what Casey looks like when he's watching TV."

"Hey, I thought that you didn't want anything," Chuck said as Sarah took a handful of popcorn from his bowl.

"I lied," she flatly responded.

"Well, you're a good liar," Chuck said. "I never know what's the truth with you."

On one note Sarah was glad that her lying skills hadn't been impaired, but hearing Chuck say it like that kind of hurt. She decided not to say anything.

"What's happening in the show?" Chuck asked once he realized that Sarah wasn't going to respond to his previous comment.

"Bailey's going to have her baby," Sarah said with a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Chuck, who despite the fact that he thought children were wonderful, thought that the idea of childbirth was disgusting.

"George is going to have to help birth the baby," Sarah said.

"Have you seen this episode before?" Chuck asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Sarah confessed.

"Then why can't I watch the penguin special?" Chuck asked as he lightly laughed.

"Because," Sarah said.

"I thought that 'because' wasn't an answer." Chuck said.

"It is when I use it," Sarah said.

"Fine," Chuck relented and settled back in his seat.

Sarah snuggled herself close to Chuck and was once again absorbed in whatever was playing on the screen. After Sarah had snuggled herself closer, Chuck found himself enjoying his day off much more than when it had begun. Sarah almost always only did things for cover, and that was if other people could see. Now they were alone, sitting comfortably together, and watching TV.

"Maybe I should watch _Grey's Anatomy_ more often," he said to himself.

"What?" asked Sarah.

"Nothing," Chuck replied, and they both returned to watching _Grey's Anatomy._

**A/N: This may just be a oneshot, but I might write more. **

**Does anybody have any idea what Chuck and Sarah could wear to a banquet?**


	2. Chapter 2

Chuck woke up in a happy mood. Today he didn't have to report to work until five o'clock in the afternoon, so he had several hours to spare. He got out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed. When he finished dressing, he headed toward the kitchen for breakfast.

"Hey, Chuck," said Ellie, who was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. "Why are you so happy?"

"Because," Chuck said as he prepared himself a bowl of cereal. "I don't have to go to work until early this evening. That means I can catch up on my game playing. I feel like I've neglected my Xbox these last few months."

"You are such a nerd," his sister said with a smile. "I put up with you because you're my little brother, but I don't see why Sarah does."

"Eh, I think she treats it more like a job," Chuck said with a hint of sadness.

"No, that's not it," Ellie said. "There's something about the way she looks at you."

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked as he sat down at the table.

"I don't know," his sister said. "Remember the way Jill looked at you?"

"Yeah," Chuck said waiting for her to continue.

"I thought Jill loved you. She obviously didn't, but the point is that the way Jill looked at you could never compare with the way Sarah looks at you. I can also see protectiveness in her gaze. She won't let anything bad happen to you. I'm sure of that."

"You're right about her being protective, but I'm not sure that she loves me," Chuck said. "I mean, we hardly know each other."

"She may not love you just yet, but she will," said Ellie as she got up from the table to wash her dishes. "It's inevitable. The only way she can avoid falling completely in love with you is if she leaves, and that's not going to happen."

"It's possible," Chuck said under his breath.

"What?" asked Ellie.

"Nothing," Chuck said as he to walked to the sink to wash his bowl.

"Okay, well," Ellie said as she hugged her brother. "I have to go to work. Don't geek out too much today, okay?"

"Alright," Chuck said as he headed toward the living room. "But, Ellie, it's 'nerd.'"

"Fine 'nerd out' then," she said as she walked out of the door.

Chuck settled himself on the couch and started playing Call of Duty 4. He had been playing for about thirty minutes when there was a knock on the door. He paused the game and went to answer it. He was surprised to see Sarah.

"Chuck, come with me," she said.

"Okay, let me just turn off the game," he said, as he went back inside.

He was out of the house in less than a minute, and before he knew it, they were in Sarah's car.

Some time after they had arrived at a department store, Chuck Bartowski realized out of all the situations he had imagined himself getting into with Sarah, this was not one of them. It should have felt perfectly normal, but after Jill had left him, he thought this part of his life was over. Nevertheless, here he was sitting in a chair outside of the dressing rooms. This time he was waiting for Sarah, not Jill, to come out. It was amusing actually, watching Sarah parade in yet another of the many outfits she had pieced together. He thought the fact she watched _Grey's Anatomy_ was shocking. He never thought she was into television, least of all dramas such as _Grey's._ But this morning when she stopped by his apartment and told him to get in the car, he followed orders without question because he thought they might be going on a mission. Boy, was he surprised when Sarah plucked a few shirts and skirts from a rack, and entered the dressing room.

It was boring waiting for her to come out of the dressing room, but whenever she did she had this look of pure joy that Chuck just had to play along. He didn't know why women found shopping so exciting, so the fact that Sarah Walker, a CIA agent, could find it exciting, baffled him even more.

The door to the dressing room opened and out stepped Sarah. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a pink tank top.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Perfect," he replied.

"Okay," she said as she let out a deep breath. "Chuck, you've said that in response to everything that I've come out in."

"That's because you do look perfect," he said in his defense. "You would look perfect if you walked out wearing a garbage bag."

"You are no help at all," she said as she went back into the dressing room.

"Are you almost done?" he asked through the door and hoped she would say yes.

"Yeah, let me just put my clothes back on," she replied.

"Okay," Chuck said as he went back to his seat rethinking his hope of her being finished with modeling her clothing.

_Watching her parade in a birthday suit would have been nice,_ he grinned as he thought to himself.

Sarah came out a few minutes later with two piles of clothes. Chuck knew from all the shopping that day the pile on her right arm was what she was going to purchase, and the pile in her left was what she was going to put back.

"Let me take these," he said as he took the pile from her left arm.

"Okay," she said. "You go put those up, and I'll pay for these."

When he came back she was holding four more bags.

"How much stuff did you need?" he asked, again baffled by women and their shopping habits.

"What?" she asked. "I needed some more clothes."

"Twelve bags worth?" he asked as he helped her with them. "And what's with all of the kitchen supplies? I thought you couldn't cook."

"I can't," she said. "Well, it's just my cooking abilities are slim."

"So, you bought all of this because...?" he asked.

"You can cook," she said.

"Right," he said. "And my kitchen has everything I need."

"It's Ellie's kitchen," Sarah pointed out.

"So?" he asked. "I still use it."

"We needed stuff for _our_ kitchen," Sarah said.

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked. "We don't have a kitchen."

"We will by the end of the week," she said. "We're moving in together."

"What?" he asked, certain he did not hear her correctly.

"Graham decided we need to expand our cover," Sarah explained. "So, we're going to move in together."

"Where?" Chuck asked as his thoughts tried to keep up with their conversation.

"Somewhere close to Casey," she said.

"Okay, but what does that mean for us?" he questioned, still a little bit confused.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah wondered what part of the conversation he didn't understand.

"Our relationship," he said. "Our thing under the undercover thing. What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I do know I'm not moving in with you only for our cover."

He smiled, but his expression was still a little confused.

"Don't worry, I'll explain more over lunch."she said. " I'm hungry. Want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure, hungry. I'm Chuck. Where do you want to go?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"I don't know," she said. "Did you just call me 'hungry?'"

"Yeah," he said.

"Why?" she asked Chuck, although she couldn't possibly imagine.

"Because," he said. "You said you're _'hungry'_. I usually address people by their names."

"My name's not 'hungry' though," she said.

"I know," he said. "It was a joke. Come on, Sarah, let's go to the food court."

"My name isn't 'Sarah' either," she admitted sarcastically.

"Yeah," he said. "But I don't know your real name, so you're stuck with 'Sarah,' unless you'd prefer 'Hungry'."

"Really, Chuck, my name isn't 'Sarah,'" she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not sure if she was still joking.

"Yeah, I think I know my own name," she said, not positve she should be telling him.

"Okay, then," he said, as he started walking towards the exit and into the rest of the mall.

"Chuck, wait," she girlishly commanded.

He stopped and turned around, but didn't make any move to come back in her direction.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Come here," she coaxed.

"I can't. I was always told never to talk to strangers," he said with his smile.

"Well, then come here and let me introduce myself," Sarah found she couldn't resist that Chuck grin.

"Okay," he sheepishly made his way back towards her.

"Do you remember the time you asked me to tell you something real about myself?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "What about it?"

"I'm going to tell you my name," she said. "Just my first name, but you have to promise me not to repeat it, okay?"

"Yes," he said curious if she would follow through. "I promise. Scout's honor."

"Were you ever a Cub Scout?" she asked when she found she didn't know this about him.

"No, I don't like camping," he said. "But I still mean it."

"I'm sure you do," she said. "Okay, my name is..."

She cupped her hand around Chuck's ear and whispered the rest of her sentence. When she finished she stepped back to gauge Chuck's reaction.

"Well?" she asked as he carefully inspected her.

"Huh? I never pictured you as a ..." he said but was stopped.

"Chuck!" she whispered sharply as she thought _oh my god! what a typical guy!._

"I know. I know," he said. "Don't repeat the name. It's just I wouldn't have picked that name for you."

"Well, it's a good thing you aren't my father," she quipped. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat."

They walked out of the door with their arms full of the numerous bags of various items Sarah had bought, and headed for the food court. When they got there, they had trouble selecting what they wanted for lunch. In the end, they both ended up with Chinese food.

After they had settled into their spots at the table, Chuck decided to broach the topic of them moving in together.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you mean when you said that when we move in together you wouldn't be doing it for cover?"

"I meant that I wouldn't be moving in with you for the cover only. We're two friends who have decided to live together. It'll be like having a roommate, but I haven't had one of those since college. It might take some getting used to."

"Does that mean nothing is going to happen between us? We're just going to stay friends?"

"Yeah," she thought again..._typical..._

"But we're **just** going to stay friends? Nothing more? Honestly, I don't think that I could live in the same space as you and not want something more. We live in two different apartments as it is and I already want more."

"Chuck, I didn't say that nothing would happen. I meant that we would move in together as friends. It shouldn't be uncomfortable. Something may happen later, but we'll deal with that when the time comes."

"'When' the time comes?" Chuck couldn't let that comment pass.

"Chuck!" Sarah was getting annoyed.

"Okay, okay." Chuck stopped toying with her, afterall he knew she could kick his butt if she got too upset with him. "I need to leave for work now, anyway. See you tomorrow?"

"No, I think you'll be seeing me tonight," Sarah said.

"Tonight?" Chuck asked.

"Ellie's having another dinner party. Don't tell me you forgot."

"Oh right. See you tonight then. Ellie's going to be really excited when she hears the news. You may want to bring earplugs." Chuck anticipated.

"I think I'll be okay." Sarah said.

"Suit yourself. Want me to help carry those to your car?" Chuck asked contently.

"I figured you would anyway."

"Why's that?" Chuck asked curiously.

"Because you're a gentleman, Chuck. And besides, I drove you here. You weren't planning on walking home, were you?" Sarah asked and winked.

"No, I wasn't," Chuck said embarrassed.

They threw away their garbage, picked up the shopping bags, and peacefully headed out of the exit toward Sarah's car.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so this is kind of short and completely unedited. But I wanted to post something. Hope you like it. Please review.**

Chuck stood looking at his collections of science fiction books and movies. He stared longingly at his Tron and Dune posters. He couldn't bear the thought of taking them down just to put them in the attic. But today was the day he and Sarah were supposed to move in together, and Ellie had told him that no girl wants that stuff in their bedroom. He had protested, saying that Sarah didn't mind. But Ellie would have none of that. So here he was, trying to find the nerve to take his stuff down and leave it behind.

"Chuck, you almost done?" asked Sarah as she appeared in the doorway.

"No," he replied. "Sarah, I can't do it."

Despite how serious Chuck looked, Sarah laughed at his unwillingness to give up his 'nerd collection' as she had jokingly named it.

"That's okay, Chuck," she said. "Put it in the boxes, and we'll take it to our apartment. _I _wasn't the one who said you couldn't bring your stuff."

_Besides, _she thought, _I like your stuff. It's a part of you and it reminds me why I've fallen for... _

But even in her thoughts, she manages to catch herself.

"Are you sure?" asked Chuck.

"Yeah, just don't tell Ellie. She thinks I'm a good influence on you."

"You are," Chuck said.

"Why, thank you," said Sarah as she started going through Chuck's drawers. "I'm going to help you pack, so we can get home before Ellie drags us into staying for dinner."

"You like Ellie's cooking."

"I know. That's what I'm afraid of. I swear in the last year or so that I've lived here, I've eaten more than I have in my entire life."

"I think you may be over exaggerating, but I get your point. Although, _you _have nothing to worry about."

"Okay, come on. You're stalling."

"You're the one who brought it up!"

"Yeah, but I also packed up all of your clothes while we were talking. You on the other hand have done nothing."

"It's not my fault. You distract me," Chuck said as he took a few books off of his shelf. "Besides, I don't have that many clothes."

"I know," Sarah said. "That's going to change soon."

"For a spy, you sure like to shop a lot," Chuck said. "And are you implying that you don't like my taste in clothes?"

"Not at all, but I like to see you dressed up now and then," said Sarah.

"And what would you suggest I wear?"

"Not your Nerd Herd uniform everyday, for one."

"I have to. It's for work."

"But you could change once you get home."

"I guess, but by the time I get home it's 5 o'clock."

"So?"

"I don't think I should change my clothes when all I'm going to do is play video games or hang out with Morgan, then go to bed."

"Fine, but I'm still going to buy you some new outfits."

"Your choice," Chuck said as he closed the last box. "Ready to go?"

"Go?"

"Yeah, I'm done packing. Guess you're not the only one who can distract."

"Okay, then," Sarah said. "Let's go."

They walked out of Chuck's old bedroom carrying boxes.

"Bye, Ellie!" Chuck called to his sister.

"You guys aren't staying for dinner?" Ellie asked from the kitchen.

"No, Ellie," Sarah said. "We're going to spend our first night at our new apartment tonight. Maybe some other time."

"Okay," Ellie said. "Have fun!"

"We will," said Chuck as he and Sarah walked out of the door.

They got into Sarah's car and drove the five miles to their new apartment.

After they had unpacked everything and set it all up to Chuck's satisfaction, Sarah decided to start dinner.

"What are you doing?" asked Chuck from behind her.

"Making dinner."

"I thought you couldn't cook," Chuck lightly accuses.

"I can't cook a lot of things, but I manage. Besides, I'm hungry."

"We can order out."

"Yeah, but I'm tired of pizza."

"We can order Chinese."

"We had that last night with Morgan. Are you that afraid to try my cooking?"

"No, no, it's just that I don't want you to have to feel like you have to cook if you don't want to," Chuck said sincerely.

"I know you do," said Sarah. "And thank you, but I actually do want to cook. So please, get out of my kitchen."

"Okay," Chuck said. "As long as you want to."

Then he walked into the living room and turned on the television.

About thirty minutes later, Sarah announced that dinner was ready. And to Chuck's surprise, it looked really good. There were pork chops, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, and some chocolate cake.

"Wow," Chuck said. "I did not expect this."

"This?" asked Sarah. "This is nothing."

"Then what did you mean when you said you couldn't cook?" asked Chuck as he pulled out Sarah's chair and she sat down.

"Oh, that I can't cook as well as Ellie."

"Well, neither can I," Chuck said as he sat down himself. "But this smells fantastic."

"I bet it tastes even better," Sarah said as she looked at Chuck's amazed expression. "Come on, let's eat."

"Okay," said Chuck as he started cutting up his meat.

After dinner they cuddled up on the couch to watch a movie and spent a pleasant first night in their new apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I own nothing mentioned in this chapter.**

**Thanks to Bill and OC for help and whatnot.**

Chuck and Sarah went through just about every aisle in the movie store before Sarah found a movie she wanted to see. Chuck had tried persuading Sarah to change her pick to any of the _Star Wars _movies, any of the _Fast and the Furious _movies, or even one of the classics she enjoyed like _Breakfast at Tiffany's. _But once Sarah had her mind set on something, she could not be talked into changing it. So they left the Blockbuster with the necessary movie snacks such as Mike & Ike's, Snow Caps, and popcorn along with a copy of _Mama Mia._

Chuck was not a big fan of **ABBA**, and he was surprised that Sarah was. Of course over the last couple of months, he had been finding out interesting little tidbits about Sarah.

While Sarah was driving them home, Chuck decided to figure out what the movie they were watching was about. For that, he flipped the movie over and read the back.

_Well_, he thought_. Meryl Streep is in it and she's...Meryl Streep. Pierce Brosnan is also in it. He played James Bond, although admittedly he wasn't my favorite Bond. A few of these names sound familiar, but I can't seem to place them. Maybe this movie won't be so bad._

Some time after Chuck and Sarah arrived home and all of the preparations for ideal movie watching were made, they were ready to start the film. Chuck put the movie in, and then he settled himself on the couch next to Sarah. After Sarah had adjusted the blankets to fit Chuck comfortably, she pressed 'play' on the remote.

From the opening scene of the movie, all Chuck's expectation for a good movie disappeared.

_This movie is horrible_, thought Chuck.

Then the first musical number started.

_Why in the world would Sarah pick this_? he wondered.

But as he thought that, Sarah started softly singing along. And Chuck had to admit that that was pretty cute. The song soon ended and the movie resumed. Chuck decided to make the most of it, and snuggled closer to Sarah. They seemed to fit each other perfectly.

About halfway through the movie, Chuck was fighting off sleep. So as the next song started, he decided to sing along with Sarah.

When Sarah heard Chuck singing, she looked at him with a confused expression. He _had _said that he disliked **ABBA.**

"Ellie," he said by way of explanation.

"Oh," she said. Then she flashed him one of her most beautiful smiles and went back to singing.

Eventually, even though they both had fun, they tired of singing. They laid back and enjoyed the last fifteen minutes of the movie.

When the movie finished, neither one wanted to get up. But they had a mission the next day, so it was time to get to bed.

The sleeping arrangements were still new to them, so they both took a lot of time getting ready. But eventually they both ended up in bed.

"Good night, Sarah."

"Good night, Chuck."

* * *

They were in the van doing surveillance for one of the _worst _missions ever. Even Chuck could see that.

They were parked outside one of the many courthouse buildings in L.A., spying on some random court reporter who allegedly was a part time drug smuggler. But so far, nothing interesting happened. All they saw was the reporter catch up on some work she had seemed to neglect. Big deal.

Casey was sent in to see if he could get some information out of Ms. Kathleen Verkisto. At the briefing Chuck had asked why Casey was the one assigned to retrieve the information. Casey just didn't seem like the guy people would buddy up to and give information.

Beckman actually seemed to enjoy the question. She had replied with a smile, "Because, Mr. Bartowski, Major Casey seems to be this woman's type."

Of course, Chuck didn't know what the General meant by 'type', but so far all Casey was able to get out of the suspect was a bunch of inconsequential information. Chuck had to give the man credit though. This woman talked nonstop. So far they had found out that Janice in Accounting was having relationship problems, Bob in Office Supplies might lose his job, and Kevin, Kathleen's boss, had just recently been divorced.

Absolutely the worst mission ever. And they couldn't even drug her into spilling the intel they were seeking. The only fun part was that Casey had been talked into a date.

So Chuck and Sarah sat in the van listening to the court reporter talk to Casey about _all _of the court office gossip.

A few moments after Kathleen had revealed her favorite genre of movies, Sarah heard Chuck singing softly to himself.

"I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay  
Ain't it sad  
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me  
That's too bad  
In my dreams I have a plan  
If I got me a wealthy man  
I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball..." she heard him sing.

"Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Trying to entertain myself."

"By singing **ABBA?"**

"Yeah."

"I thought you didn't like their music," she playfully accused.

"I don't, not really, but after that movie last night it's kind of stuck in my head."

"The songs are catchy."

"Sing with me."

"I can't, Chuck. We have a mission."

"Yeah, but _nothing _is happening. Come on just a verse or two."

"Okay," she relents.

"Money, money, money  
Must be funny  
In the rich mans world  
Money, money, money  
Always sunny  
In the rich mans world  
Aha-ahaaa  
All the things I could do  
If I had a little money  
It's a rich mans world" they sang together.

They continued to sing through that song and "Mama Mia" before Casey interrupted them.

"What are you two idiots doing?" he asked grumpily.

"Just waiting to tell you that Chuck flashed on nothing and Ms. Verkisto gave us no helpful information at all," said Sarah.

"I know," said Casey as he climbed into the van's driver seat. "I had to listen to it all, plus you and Bartowski singing."

"Well, I'm sure your date tonight will cheer you up," replied Chuck.

And Chuck is pretty sure that Casey smiled at that.

* * *

"This time though, I get to pick it," Chuck said as he and Sarah argued about which movie they would watch.

Sarah rolled her eyes and said, "As long as it's not science fiction."

"But those are the best kind!"

"Just pick a movie."

Chuck thought a moment. "What about _Cast Away?" _he asked. "It's got Tom Hanks in it."

"What kind of movie is it?"

"A drama."

"What's it about? And is it good?"

"Yes, it's good," said Chuck. "It's about this guy whose airplane crashes. He gets stranded on this island and he has to learn how to survive."

"So like _Lost?"_

"I knew I was rubbing off on you!" exclaimed Chuck. "Yeah, it's kind of like _Lost _except he's by himself. You'll see."

Chuck put the movie in, then he positioned himself on the couch next to Sarah.

Before they could get interested in the movie the phone rang. Sarah answered it, and a few moments later she informed Chuck that they would be resuming the mission from earlier that afternoon. Apparently Casey was able to get information out of the court reporter after all.

"Okay," said Chuck with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

_At least when we're alone, we get to be ourselves and just enjoy each other's company. Even if it's only for a few hours, _thought Chuck as he grabbed their coats and they headed out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I would like to thank Bill for his help. I also would like to thank Kayla for inspiring the little kid idea.**

* * *

"Hey, Casey," Chuck said as Casey walked up to the Nerd Herd desk. "How was your date last night?"

"Fine," replied Casey with a little less sarcasm than usual.

"It's your third one this week," observed Chuck. "You and Ms. Verkisto must be getting serious. I guess it's a good thing she wasn't a drug mule."

"First," said Casey, "her name is Kathleen. And second, it's none of your business. Third, she gave us valuable information _without _being annoying. Fourth, I'll have you know she is very good in-"

"No, no!" Chuck quickly said. "I do _not _want to know."

"Suit yourself," said Casey with a shrug. "I just came over to tell you that Ellie spoke with me this morning. She wants you to come over when you get off work. She said something about baby-sitting."

Without waiting for Chuck to reply, Casey walked off.

* * *

The end of Chuck's shift finally came. He loved getting off work, because he got to walk over to the Orange Orange and see Sarah at the end of the day. He was on his way there when he remembered about having to go see Ellie. He had driven Sarah to work, so at least he would see her before he had to baby-sit. He had a feeling Sarah was not big on watching little kids.

Sarah smiled as she saw Chuck walk through the door.

"Hey, Chuck," she said as she finished wiping the counter.

"Hey, Sarah."

"What's wrong?" she asked when she saw that Chuck seemed a little different than usual.

"Nothing," Chuck said, sensing Sarah was about to go into agent mode. "Just that I think Ellie wants me to baby-sit tonight and we won't be able to hang out."

"You aren't planning on taking me along?" asked Sarah with feigned sadness. "I'm hurt."

"If you want to come," Chuck said, "you're more than welcome. I have to warn you, though, the kids Ellie usually wants me to baby-sit are a little rowdy."

"I think I can handle it, Chuck. I _was _trained by the CIA."

* * *

When they arrived at Ellie's apartment, Chuck paused before the door.

"Are you sure you want to baby-sit?" he asked Sarah.

"Yes, Chuck," Sarah said as she rolled her eyes. "How hard can watching little kids be?"

_Plus, it will be good practice, _thought Sarah.

"You'll find out," Chuck said with a smile.

They walked into the apartment. Ellie was waiting for Chuck, but when she saw Sarah her face beamed.

"Sarah, are you going to help Chuck watch the kids?" she asked excitedly.

"Hold on, sis," Chuck said before Sarah could answer. "I haven't agreed yet. What makes you think I'm not here to tell you I can't baby-sit because Sarah and I have plans?"

"Do you?" asked Ellie.

"No, Ellie," said Chuck. "But we could have."

"Sorry," said Ellie. "I guess I'm just used to your being available whenever I need you."

"Yeah," said Chuck. "That's going to have to change soon."

"Ellie," Sarah said, interrupting the brother-sister conversation, "what is the kid like?"

"Kids," said Ellie. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Sarah, although she had just been expecting one child. "What are they like?"

"Really nice," said Ellie. "Um, they're the Carsons' kids. You remember Alice and Jim from the dinner party a week ago, right? Their boys."

"I don't think I've baby-sat them before," said Chuck. "How old are they? And why do we have to baby-sit anyway?"

"Because Devon and I are going to double date with the parents," explained Ellie. "They deserve a break from the kids."

"Uh-huh," said Chuck. "And how old are the kids?"

"Let's see," said Ellie. "Tyler is two and a half, Nick is four and a half, and Adam is five and a half."

"So," Chuck said, "you have us baby-sitting three young little boys? What happened to the nice, quiet older kids I used to baby-sit?"

"They got too old," said Ellie. "Please, Chuck?"

"We would love to, Ellie," broke in Sarah.

"Oh, good," said Ellie. "Um, let me give you their address and you guys can head over there while I pick up Devon from the hospital."

Ellie went to the kitchen. When she came back, she handed Chuck a piece of paper with an address written on it.

"Good luck, guys," Ellie said as she walked out the door. "Have fun!"

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other a moment.

"Guess we'd better go," said Chuck.

* * *

They got to the Carsons' before Ellie. As the kids rushed to see who the visitors were, Jim and Alice tried to explain how to take care of the kids.

"The boys can be a little rowdy, but they're really sweet," said Alice, speaking over the noise. "And they're young, so they should be easier than an eight year old."

"Make sure they eat their vegetables," said Jim. "Give them a bath and put in a movie. They can only watch one movie before bedtime."

"They may ask you to read a story," said Alice. "And they have to have someone lay with them, otherwise they won't go to sleep."

"And Tyler is still in diapers," said Jim.

Before Chuck and Sarah could really wrap their heads around all of the information, Ellie came. She hurried Alice and Jim out the door before her friends could either back down or Chuck and Sarah could refuse to baby-sit.

"I guess we're in for it now," said Chuck after the two couples had left.

"Yeah," agreed an overwhelmed Sarah. "What do we do?"

"Let's introduce ourselves to the kids," said Chuck.

It took some coaxing, but he finally got the kids to settle down a bit and sit on the couch.

"Hey, guys," he said in his most friendly manner. "My name is Chuck. And the very pretty girl standing behind me is Sarah."

"Is she your girlfriend?" asked Adam.

"Yes, she is," said Chuck without really thinking.

"I have a girlfriend too," announced Nick. "She's the girl off of _Elf." _

"Good for you," said Chuck. "Zooey Deschanel is very pretty."

"What are your names?" asked Sarah by way of breaking the ice. She wasn't really too great with kids. It'd been awhile since she had seen her siblings. She was losing practice.

"I'm Adam," said Adam, feeling it his duty as the oldest to introduce his siblings. "And that's Nick, and that's Tyler. He's the baby."

"Okay," said Sarah. "Do you guys want to play a game?"

"Yeah!" said Adam and Nick. "Can we play the Xbox? I want to play Midnight Club."

"A couple of gamers," said Chuck. "I like it."

"Chuck?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. "Their parents didn't say anything about Xbox."

"What harm can it do?" Chuck asked.

"It's only six o'clock," said Sarah after checking the time. "I know you. If you start with the video games, you'll be playing for hours. I'm sure these kids are the same. Maybe later."

"Then what do you want to do?" asked Chuck.

"How about we play hide-and-seek?" Sarah asked the kids.

"Yeah!" they all replied, quickly forgetting about the Xbox.

"Okay," Sarah said, glad that the kids had liked the idea. "I'm going to count. You guys had better find some really good hiding spots."

She closed her eyes and began counting. The kids wasted no time. They quickly ran to find a place to hide , Chuck on the other hand, paused to look at Sarah.

"Chuck, why aren't you going to hide?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"I just wanted to look at you," Chuck said. "You seem really into this whole babysitting thing. And I guess I'm just surprised."

"Why?" she asked. "Does Sarah Walker not scream baby-sitter?"

"Not really," Chuck admitted. "But I'm sure you'll make a great mom someday."

"Thank you, Chuck," she said. "As for the baby-sitting stuff, I blame that on coming from a big family."

"You did?" asked Chuck.

"Yeah," said Sarah. "Three brothers and three sisters. I was the middle child. I got looked after and I learned how to care for the younger children."

"That's a lot of kids," said Chuck, surprised at this new information. He didn't want to press his luck, but he had to ask. "What was growing up like?"

"Hectic," Sarah said with a laugh. "My mom used to say there was never a dull moment at our house. And she was right. Not only was it my siblings and me in the house, but I also had several nieces and nephews. We all lived on the same street. Everybody in our small town knew who we were."

"Bet that was fun," Chuck said.

"Not really," Sarah said. "We always got in trouble, and it was made worse because the cops knew us personally. Parents' old high school buddies."

"I'd like to hear more," Chuck said. "But I think we'd better start searching for the kids."

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "Ready or not, here we come!"

They split up. Chuck headed towards the bedrooms, while Sarah took the dining room, living room, and playroom areas.

Using her super spy senses, Sarah was easily able to find Tyler hiding in a toy box. He had made a mess taking the toys out to make room for himself, and the mess was a definite tell.

"Ah-ha!" she said as she opened the toy box. "I found you!"

She gently lifted the giggling boy.

"Now help me find your brothers."

* * *

Chuck carefully crept around the corner. He could hear Nick and Adam whispering softly in their room.

"They're not going to find us," he heard Adam say.

"Yeah," agreed Nick. "We picked the bestest hiding spot!"

"Ssshhh," Adam said. "We have to be quiet."

Chuck decided to make it a little more fun. He didn't want to spoil the boys' plan. He stood up, because he had been crawling before.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he called as he listened to the kids laughing.

After a few "wrong" attempts at finding the boys, Chuck decided it was time to uncover their hiding spot. He entered the room and immediately saw where they were. There was a big moving pile of blankets on the bed.

"I wonder where they could be," Chuck said loudly enough for the boys to hear. And just as he had expected, the boys giggled and squirmed.

"Hmmm," Chuck yawned. "I sure am tired after trying to find those boys. Maybe I should take a nap on this nice, warm-looking bed."

He carefully laid on the bed next to the lump.

"I wonder why this bed is so lumpy," he said.

The boys laughed.

"What was that?" Chuck asked as the boys laughed again.

Chuck removed the blanket, revealing the boys.

"There you are!" he exclaimed with surprise in his voice.

Then the boys took off running.

"I'm going to get you guys," Chuck said as he started chasing them.

* * *

Meanwhile, before Sarah and Tyler could try finding the other kids, Sarah discovered that little Tyler was stinky.

"Oh, boy," she said. "Are you stinky, Tyler?"

The boy just nodded his head.

Sarah carried him to the playroom and laid him on the baby changing table. She got the diapers, wipes, and baby powder.

"Let's get you changed," she said as she undid the soiled diaper. "Oh, gross!"

The baby had made a nasty mess in his diaper. Hearing Sarah's exclamation, he actually laughed.

With her nose slightly pinched because of the smell, Sarah started wiping the baby off. Fortunately it was not has bad as she had originally thought. She had quickly cleaned up the baby, put powder and a new diaper on him, and started putting his pants back on.

* * *

Chuck had heard Sarah while she was changing the baby's diaper. He, along with Nick and Adam, went to see if she needed any help. When he saw her, he stopped. He asked Nick and Adam to be very quiet, then seeing Sarah was completely distracted, he took out his iPhone and snapped a picture. Sarah looked so perfect taking care of the baby.

When she picked up the baby to leave the room, Chuck and the boys had to quickly hide so she wouldn't see them. Giving up on hide-and-seek, they went to the living room to play Xbox.

* * *

When Sarah finished washing her hands in the bathroom, she and the baby headed to the living room because she heard Chuck and the boys playing in there.

"Chuck," she said, the baby on her hip, "what did I tell you about the Xbox?"

"You said we could play later," Chuck said, trying to not be too happy seeing Sarah hold a baby. "It's later now."

"I guess," said Sarah. "But no movie tonight."

"Okay," the boys said.

"What are you playing?" she asked.

"Midnight Club," said Adam.

"And he's beating me," said Chuck.

"Well, at least now you have someone besides Morgan who can beat you at video games," Sarah said, trying to not smile at Chuck's obvious discomfort at being beaten by a five year old.

"Aunt Sarah," said Nick. "They won't let me play."

Both Chuck and Sarah were surprised when Nick said "Aunt Sarah". Not only had it been unexpected, but it felt a little strange. They both liked the sound of it, and they weren't sure they were supposed to.

"They won't let me play, Aunt Sarah," Nick said again because he thought he hadn't been heard.

Sarah recovered herself and said, "Chuck, Adam, you guys have to take turns. After this race let Nick play, okay?"

"Yeah," said Adam as if this were something he heard all the time.

After watching a couple of races and making sure the boys shared, Sarah decided it was time to make dinner.

"Come on, baby," she said as she stood up. "Let's see what there is to eat."

Heading for the kitchen, she decided Tyler was her favorite.

When they got to the kitchen, Sarah sat Tyler in his highchair. Then she started searching for something to feed the kids. Luckily, Alice and Jim had left a note on the refrigerator. It said the boys would eat mac & cheese with cut up hot dogs mixed in. They would also eat green beans on the side, and if they ate all of their dinner they could have applesauce.

"That sounds easy enough," said Sarah.

And it was easy. Sarah had the food made in no time at all. She put some on plates for the boys, Chuck, and herself. She set the plates on the table and Tyler's on his tray.

"Boys, dinner!" she called.

"Okay," Chuck called back. "Just let me turn the game off."

Chuck, Nick, and Adam appeared in the kitchen shortly after.

Everybody sat down and enjoyed their meal. Dinner went pleasantly. Chuck and the two older boys talked about the video game they had just finished playing, while Sarah and the baby listened. When the meal was over, it was time for a bath.

"If you get them dressed, I'll wash them," Chuck offered.

"Deal," Sarah said.

Chuck took the kids and put them in the bathtub.

Sarah had the boys' pajamas laid out before Adam came to her wrapped in a towel. She quickly got him dressed, and the other two kids followed in the same fashion.

By the time Chuck finished cleaning the bathroom, Sarah had already read the boys a story and tucked them in. In fact, they had all fallen asleep. Chuck took a picture of the sleeping Sarah and boys. Then he turned off the light and went to clean the rest of the house.

* * *

Chuck woke Sarah up when the Carsons got home.

"Thank you so much," said Alice as Chuck and a sleepy Sarah headed to the car.

"No problem," said Chuck. "We actually really enjoyed it."

"Well you guys did a great job," said Jim. "You got the kids to bed and you cleaned up the house. We may just have you guys baby-sit more often."

"Anytime," Chuck said.

When all of the goodbyes were said, Chuck led Sarah to the car.

"Did you have fun?" Chuck asked her as he buckled her up.

"Yes," she said sleepily. "You're going to be an amazing dad."

"Who was your favorite kid?" Chuck asked as he buckled himself into his own seat.

"Tyler," she said. "But they were all great."

"Yeah," Chuck said. "They were."

"Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah?"

"I want a lot of kids, okay?" she asked before drifting off to sleep.

Chuck thought about that for a moment. He also reflected back to her saying he would be a great dad.

"I want a lot of kids too, Sarah," he finally, said even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

* * *

**A/N: I felt that Verkisto aka OC needed her own note. Thank you, OC! You were a big help. You were awesome at responding quickly. Always so nice, but still helpful when pointing out errors. **

**Did you think I forgot you, OC?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, so this was written for Adam Baldwin's birthday. I decided to include it in this story, because I thought it would fit. Hope you guys like it.**

**Happy Birthday, Adam!**

* * *

"Chuck, guess what today is," Sarah said after giving him a gentle kiss to sell their "cover."

"Um, February 27th?" Chuck asked.

"Well, yes. But that is not what I was looking for," Sarah said with a smile.

"Friday?" he asked.

"Guess again," she said.

"Your birthday?" he asked.

"Close, but no," she said. "Today is not my birthday. It's Casey's!"

"Casey has a birthday?" Chuck asked. "He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't hatched. How did you find out?"

"That's the best part," Sarah smiled even wider. "Beckman privately video-conferenced me and told me."

"Beckman?" Chuck asked, surprise evident in his voice. "Seriously, I don't believe you."

"I wouldn't either, but it's true," she said.

"What are we going to do?" Chuck asked.

"We're going to throw him a birthday party," Sarah stated.

"We are?" asked Chuck.

"Yep," Sarah said as she started leading Chuck out of the Buy More. "Come on, we have supplies to get."

"When is your birthday?" Chuck asked as they exited the store. "Just for future reference."

"Not that easily, mister," Sarah playfully said. "But nice try."

* * *

Sarah obviously knew what she was looking for, because as soon as they entered the Large Mart she immediately dragged Chuck towards the baking aisle.

"You're making him a cake?" asked Chuck.

"No," Sarah shook her head. "Casey doesn't like cake. I'm making him his favorite cookies."

"How do you even know what his favorite cookies are?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck, honey," Sarah whispered, "I know that this may be hard for you to comprehend at times, but I'm a spy."

"Uh-huh," Chuck said. "What are we going to get him as a present? And is this like an actual party thing or a 'hey-it's-your-birthday-here-you-go' thing?"

"Party," Sarah said. "I even invited Kathleen Verkisto. She's going to lure him to the secret meeting place."

"Where is that exactly?" asked Chuck. "And what about presents?"

"The meeting place is a secret, Chuck," Sarah said. "I can't tell you. And I have the presents covered."

"Okay," Chuck said. "Then what am I going to do?"

"You, my friend, are the errand boy."

"Great," Chuck said with something closely resembling sarcasm.

* * *

They left the store a few hours later. Chuck and Sarah's arms were full of the seemingly millions of things Sarah had bought.

"What exactly is this party going to be like?" Chuck asked as they were loading the things in the car.

"It's going to be the best party that I can give," Sarah told Chuck. "Casey's a great partner. He deserves an awesome birthday. I know from experience that it's not often agents get to celebrate. Usually, if we're lucky, we get to spend our birthdays in a quiet hotel room without worrying about terrorists or bombs. Even if we're only lucky enough to have an hour of peace, it reminds us of how it feels to be normal. And you know how Casey is. He would never admit it, but he's lonely."

"What about his girlfriend?" asked Chuck.

"She has made him happier, but I know that he's worried," Sarah said. "I mean, we've never even actually met her."

"What does he have to worry about?" asked Chuck.

"That she'll betray him," Sarah said. "Or that one day she'll find out he's not enough. That she wants more than whatever amount of time and attention he can give her. That one day, he'll have to leave and never come back. Agents can't make huge commitments, Chuck. Because some things just don't work out."

"What about Ilsa? Or you and Bryce?" Chuck asked. "You guys found love then. Why not now? Or you guys could quit."

"If only it was that simple," Sarah said with a sad smile. "I'm sure that Casey loved Ilsa, but you saw the effect her supposed death had on him. After that, he realized he couldn't have love. Not the kind people are always talking about. And Bryce and me? I don't think we ever loved each other. We cared about each other deeply. We still do. There was definite lust, but it wasn't love. At least, it was nothing compared to how I feel about..."

"What?" asked Chuck. "About what?"

"We can't talk about it now," Sarah said. She hated giving Chuck even the slightest hope. Even though she wanted him to always want her, and even though she knew she would always want him, everything she had said was true. Life as an agent was, for lack of a better word, complicated. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Okay," Chuck agreed. He knew Sarah enough to know when to stop. Eventually, he'd find out her true feelings, but now was not the time. "Let's get this party started!"

Sarah smiled at his excitement. She knew Chuck would never pressure her into admitting anything. No matter how much he wanted to hear it or even how much she wished she could just say it.

* * *

Meanwhile, at his apartment, Casey was having trouble telling his girlfriend "no."

"Why can't we just stay inside?" he asked as persuasively as he could.

"Haven't you had enough yet?" his girlfriend playfully asked.

"Never," Casey said. "But I'll cool it down. You deserve a break, but I can't make any promises."

"And I don't want those kind of promises," said Kathleen. "But I do want you to take me to meet your friends."

"How did you even talk to them, Katie?" he asked.

"A woman, I think her name was Sarah, called me at work," Katie replied. "She said she was a friend of yours and wanted to meet me."

"Did she say what for?" asked Casey. He didn't know why Sarah would call his girlfriend for a meeting. It didn't make sense.

"Yes," Katie said. "But it's a surprise. Are you ashamed of me, John Casey?"

"Me?" he asked. "No, never, but I just don't see why you would want to meet my friends."

"Because," she said. "It would show me how much commitment you're willing to give. I mean, I've never met anyone from your life except your neighbor Ellie. And that was an accident!"

"Okay," Casey said. "But if you don't like them, you can't blame it on me."

"Thank you," she said. "Now where were we?"

* * *

Back at their apartment, Chuck and Sarah were busily baking cookies and other baked goods for Casey's party.

"How much of this stuff do we need?" asked Chuck, gesturing to the dozens of already made sweets.

"I don't know," admitted Sarah. "I've never thrown a party before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," said Chuck. "How many people did you invite?"

"Let's see. I invited Ellie and Awesome," she said counting on her fingers, "Morgan, Lester, Jeff, Big Mike, Casey's girlfriend and Carina. But I don't think she'll be able to make it. So that makes eleven people including Casey and us."

"Yeah," Chuck said. "I, uh, don't think we'll need this much."

"Then what do we do with it?" asked Sarah.

"I don't know," Chuck said. "Put it away for later?"

And that is what they did. The kitchen was cleaned up in less than twenty minutes, and Chuck and Sarah had started packing up the desserts for the party.

"Will you tell me where the party is at now?" asked Chuck.

"Nope," Sarah said as she closed the last container.

"Fine," said Chuck. "Then let's go."

They carried the containers to the car. Then they headed towards Sarah's secret destination.

* * *

"There!" Sarah called to Morgan and Chuck as they hung the "Happy Birthday, John!" banner. "Now everything is perfect."

"Glad you think so," Chuck said as he and Morgan climbed down from the ladder.

"Sarah," Ellie said, coming up behind her, "it is so nice that you decided to throw Casey a party."

"Thanks," Sarah said. "He deserves one."

"So, where is the awesome dude?" asked Devon, hugging Ellie from behind.

"He should be here any minute," Sarah said as she looked at her watch.

At just that moment, a car pulled up. Casey and Ms. Verkisto got out. They were immediately surrounded by people wishing Casey a happy birthday and Jeff and Lester who wanted to check out Casey's girl.

"It's a birthday party?" Casey asked Katie.

"Yep," she answered. "Are you surprised?"

"Yes, I am," Casey said. "Excuse me a minute."

He walked to where Sarah was standing a few yards away from everyone else.

"Thanks, Walker," he said sincerely. "But don't let it happen again."

"No worries, John," she said. "It was more trouble than I thought."

"You do know that now Bartowski is going to bother me about this for a long time, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sarah smiled. "It comes with being normal."

"Well, then I guess everyone needs a little normalcy in their lives," Casey smiled too. "Hey, Bartowski! Guess whose birthday is in a few months!"

"Casey!" Sarah whispered.

"Payback," Casey simply said as he and Sarah walked to join everybody else in celebrating.

"Casey," Chuck said excitedly, "You won't believe what kind of presents you got!"

"As long as there's a gun," Casey said, "I'm happy."

"Not here, big guy," Sarah whispered to him. "But back in the Castle, I've got a gun with your name on it."

"Walker, you are the best friend ever!" Casey said as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist.

"Thank you, John," Sarah said. "You're not so bad yourself. And thank you, Kathleen. I have to admit, I didn't think you would be able to get him here."

"It was hard work," Kathleen said. "But I can be very persuasive."

Sarah smiled at that, although that idea was not one she wanted floating around in her head.

"Casey, when is Sarah's birthday?" Chuck couldn't help asking.

"Not now, Chuck," Casey and Sarah said in unison.

"Fine," Chuck said. But they knew he would not give up until he got an answer.

But everybody relaxed at that moment and just enjoyed the party. Casey and Sarah knew from experience it would not last, but they could enjoy it for however long it did.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks go to OC for being awesome with the help and for starring in my story.**

**Thanks, OC!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so I own nothing that sounds remotely cool. So it goes without saying, that everything in this chapter was invented by someone else.**

**I would like to thank OC and Z for their help, editing, and just plain awesomeness. :)**

**Tshadow, it's your turn now. ;-)**

* * *

Chuck knew it was probably a little creepy, but he couldn't really help himself. He was watching Sarah sleep. She just looked so peaceful. She seemed so relaxed. She was lazily stretched across the bed, her head gently resting on his shoulder. Her deep breathing was rhythmic. She looked like an angel. It was hard not to be mesmerized.

To keep from feeling like a total weirdo, Chuck decided to turn on the bedside lamp and read. He knew it would probably take him a while to find a book he thought he'd be interested in. He had already read all of his, and Sarah's collection was mostly filled with 19th century literature. Chuck liked Jane Austen as much as the next guy, but he wasn't really up to reading about the Dashwoods in the middle of the night.

He carefully got up from the bed, not wanting to jostle Sarah. Then he walked to the very crowded bookshelf. He was actually surprised at the amount of reading selections he had to choose from.

He randomly picked a book off of the shelf, telling himself that, no matter what it was, he would read it. After carrying it to the bed, he looked at the book. It was titled _The Deed of Paksenarrion._ It was clearly one of Sarah's books and it was also pretty big.

"This should be interesting," Chuck quietly said to himself.

He slowly opened the book.

"In a sheepfarmer's low stone house, high in the hills above Three Firs, two swords hang now above the mantelpiece. One is very old and slightly bent, a sword more iron than steel, dark as a pot: forged, so the tale runs, by the smith in Rocky Ford—yet it is a sword, for all that, and belonged to Kanas once, and tasted orcs' blood and robbers' blood in its time. The other is a very different matter: long and straight, keen-edged, of the finest sword-steel, silvery and glinting blue even in yellow firelight. The pommel's knot design is centered with the deeply graven seal of St. Gird; the cross-hilts are gracefully shaped and chased in gold," he read, and just like that, he was instantly engaged.

An hour passed as Chuck read the book. An hour that was action-filled. Paksenarrion had run away from home and joined a company of mercenaries. Shortly after that, she got herself into _big _trouble. It wasn't her fault. She didn't do anything, but she still ended up hurt and jailed without food or drink. Eventually, things were straightened out and Paks was able to rejoin the company. But the incident still haunted her.

He was at the part where the Duke was coming when he heard Sarah mumble something.

"Chuck," she said.

"Yes, Sarah?" he asked, looking at her.

"Chuck," she repeated.

This time, Chuck realized that she is talking in her sleep. He had never heard her do that. But, then again, he wasn't usually up this late reading and watching her sleep.

Chuck was sure that he was only restless because they hadn't gone on a mission for several weeks. Sure, it was great, but it felt like something was missing. He knew Sarah could also feel the difference. But she hid it well, pretending to be completely happy. Except he knew her better than that.

"I like Pop-Tarts," Sarah said, still sleeping.

Chuck was confused. He wasn't sure he had heard her right.

"You do?" he asked, with little hope of her hearing him.

"Mmm-hmm," Sarah mumbled. "Pop-Tarts come from Texas."

That was one of the most random things Chuck had ever heard. He decided to see how much more she would say.

"What was that, Sarah?" he carefully asked. He didn't want her to wake up.

"SpongeBob is funny," she mumbled.

_That was unexpected, _Chuck thought.

"He's a sponge," Sarah said, nodding in her sleep. "And his name is Bob."

Chuck laughed. He couldn't help it. Sarah was just being so—what was the right word?—unlike Sarah. It was funny, although lack of sleep might have been why he was finding it hilarious.

"Carrie Underwood is cool," Sarah said, moving to a different subject. "She was on _American Idol_. I voted for her. And she won!"

By now, the book was long forgotten. Chuck only remembered it when it thumped to the floor.

_Uh-oh, _he thought.

He didn't want Sarah to wake up.

After a minute, he decided that she wasn't going to, so he quietly picked up the book.

"Carrie sings _Before He Cheats_," Sarah continued to mumble. "That's a funny song."

Chuck was starting to get confused. He knew he should go to sleep, but Sarah was being very entertaining. And he hoped that maybe she would tell him exactly how she felt.

"What else do you want to talk about, Sarah?" he asked.

"I had a pet rock when I was little," Sarah said. "His name was Bill. He would talk to me, but only when we were alone. He was nice. I miss Bill. He used to pee in our floor, so my dad made me get rid of him. I didn't though. I kept him in the backyard, but one day he ran away."

Chuck had no idea what to say to that.

"I'm sorry," he decided to say.

"That's okay," Sarah said. "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay," Chuck agreed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Peanut butter," sleeping Sarah easily supplied.

"What about peanut butter?" Chuck asked.

"I like peanut butter," Sarah said. "The creamy kind is the best. The crunchy kind is good, but it takes forever to spread."

"Yes, it does," Chuck said. "But I like it."

"Each to his own," Sarah said. "Chuck, guess what?"

"Albany is the capital of New York," Chuck said.

"No," Sarah said. "Well, it is. But that wasn't what I was going to say."

"Then what were you going to say?" Chuck asked.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone," Sarah cautioned.

"Okay, Sarah," Chuck said. "I promise."

"I work for the government," Sarah whispered. "I was sent to protect you."

"I kind of already knew that, Sarah," Chuck said.

"Oh," Sarah said. "Okay, then let's talk about something else."

"I'm game," Chuck said. "What do you want to talk about now?"

"Hmmm," Sarah said, appearing to think. Her face clouded over for a minute and her closed eyes seemed to squint. She was in deep thought. Suddenly, she asked, "What was the quadratic formula again? Oh, yeah! X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared, minus 4 times A times C, over 2 times A. Those were fun."

"Yeah, I'm sure they were," Chuck said, definitely confused. He hadn't had to work with the quadratic formula in years. He was amazed that Sarah even remembered what it was.

"I'm hungry," Sarah stated.

Chuck didn't even find that random. He should have, but Sarah had been rambling incoherently for a good ten minutes. So he just took what she said in stride, but that didn't mean he was any less confused.

"Okay, Sarah," he said, sure now that she wouldn't wake up. "What do you want to eat?"

"Pickles and chocolate cake," she said.

_That's probably the strangest combination ever, _Chuck thought.

"Sarah, are you sure that's what you want?" he asked. "Those two foods don't really complement each other."

"Hmmm?" Sarah asked, apparently having already forgotten that she was hungry.

"Never mind," Chuck said.

_And I thought Sarah was complicated when she was awake, _Chuck thought.

"I like ponies," Sarah said, on to her next topic of discussion. "Ponies are cute. Do you like ponies, Chuck?"

"Yes, I do," Chuck said.

"A horse, of course, of course," Sarah said.

"Ah, Mr. Ed," Chuck said. He was starting to fall asleep.

"Hey, Chuck?" Sarah whispered.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I can't see," she said sounding seriously panicked. "Why can't I see?"

"Your eyes are closed," Chuck said, trying not to laugh.

"Why?" she asked, sounding relieved that she apparently hadn't lost her sight.

"Because you're asleep," Chuck explained.

"No wonder I'm so tired," Sarah mused.

"Yeah, let's try to get some sleep," Chuck suggested. He was really tired.

He checked the alarm clock. It was 3:26 a.m. He had been listening to Sarah for nearly half an hour.

"Chuck," Sarah finally said. "I'm going to sleep."

Before Chuck could remind Sarah that she was in fact _already _asleep, she snuggled herself closer to him.

"Good night, Chuck," she said.

"Good night, Sarah," he replied.

Sarah took a deep breath. "You're comfy."

"Thanks," Chuck said, as held Sarah securely in his arms.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She felt warm. He quietly reached over to the bedside table and pulled out the thermometer that Ellie insisted he keep. Carefully, he checked Sarah's temperature.

She had a temperature of 100.3. A low fever, but a fever nonetheless.

_That explains so much, _thought Chuck as he put the thermometer away.

When the thermometer was back in its place, he slipped back in his spot next to Sarah. He happily drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I have no idea where this came from. I think I got a little crazy last night and then it "inspired" me to write this today. It hasn't been edited. And it's probably weirder than the previous chapter. Enjoy! :)**

**Also, you can nominate authors and stories for the Awesome Awards on the Chuck boards here on this site. ****Make your voices heard. I'd give you a link, but it won't let me. Here's part of it though: .net/topic/49974/14522145/1/ .**

**And as always, read and review! Thanks!**

* * *

Chuck walked into the apartment after a long shift at work. Originally he had a regular schedule, working from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. But Lester had called in sick and Saturday was a pretty busy day for computer emergencies, so Chuck had to stay overtime. Now it was 10 o'clock and he was tired.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard music coming from the living room.

_That's weird,_ Chuck thought. _It doesn't sound like something Sarah would listen to._

Chuck then remembered that Sarah liked ABBA and Carrie Underwood, so really, she could be into anything.

He went into the living room to see what was going on. And yet again he was surprised and confused by what he saw Sarah doing.

The radio was on some hip hop station and the volume was pretty loud. He wasn't really sure what the artist of the song was saying. He caught a few words of the song and they didn't make sense.

Because he was standing in the doorway, Sarah didn't see him. Or she just chose to ignore him. She _was_ an agent.

Sarah confused Chuck more than the song did. She was dancing. Or at least he thought she was. He couldn't be sure. It didn't really look like any of the dances he had seen her do before. It wasn't a waltz or a tango. It was...well, he wasn't quite sure what it was.

After a few more minutes of watching Sarah do whatever it was she was doing, he decided to let her know he was home.

"Sarah, I'm home!" Chuck called over the loud music.

"I know," said Sarah as she pressed the pause button on the radio and the music stopped. "I knew you were home as soon as you walked in the door."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" asked Chuck.

"It looked like you were having fun watching me," Sarah said, grinning. "And besides, I was getting my groove on."

"Are you sick again?" asked Chuck.

"I don't think so," Sarah said, walking over to where Chuck was standing. "Want to check?"

"No, that's okay," said Chuck. "The thermometer is in the bedroom and everything, so I'll just take your word for it."

"You don't need a thermometer to check if I have a fever, Chuck," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "All you have to do is touch me and tell me if I feel hot."

"Um, haha," Chuck nervously stammered, "I don't think that will be necessary. You seem fine."

"Come on, Chuck," Sarah said, gently taking his hand and guiding it to her forehead, "you were the one who brought it up. So do I feel hot to you?"

Chuck calmed his nerves enough to actually try to determine Sarah's temperature. She felt a little warm, but he attributed that to the dancing.

"You feel fine," Chuck said. "Just a little warm and that's probably from the dance you were doing."

"Hmm," Sarah said, pouting, "you're no fun."

"What are you talking about?" asked Chuck confused.

"Nothing," Sarah said. "Come dance with me."

"About that," Chuck said surprised at the change of subject, "um, since when did you start listening to rap or hip hop or whatever that is?"

"I don't know," Sarah answered, shrugging. "I heard it on the radio one day and it sounded interesting, so I came home and burned a CD."

"Do you have any other songs like that on the CD you burned?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, I have some," Sarah said. "Now come dance with me, please?"

"I don't know how," Chuck said.

"It's easy," said Sarah. "Come on, Chuck. I'll show you."

"Does this dance have a name?" Chuck asked, trying to stall.

"Yeah," Sarah said, "it's called the Stanky Leg. And stop trying to stall, Chuck."

"Fine," Chuck said. He knew that when Sarah set her mind to something, there was no changing it. "How does it go?"

"Well," Sarah said. "You kind of put your leg like this and then move it like this. It's easier with the music. Just watch me."

"Okay," Chuck said.

Sarah walked over to the radio and restarted the song before pressing play. The music started blaring again.

_Southside is who I be!  
Say I got my g-spot boyz with me ya digg  
Prince charming and my boy slizz  
And we gotta new dance for yall ya digg!_

_Do da stanky leg. Do da stanky leg. Do da stanky leg.  
When I hit da dance floor!  
I be  
Doin' da stanky leg. Doin' da stanky leg. Doin' da stanky leg.  
If you wired up! [hold up]  
Do da stanky leg. Do da stanky leg. Do da stanky leg.  
When I hit da dance floor!  
I be  
Doin' da stanky legg. Doin' da stanky legg. Doin' da stanky legg.  
{southside who I be! }  
_

Sarah was singing along and showing Chuck the steps of the dance. Chuck was still as confused as when he walked in, but he found it amusing to watch Sarah.

"Do you think you understand how to do it now?" asked Sarah over the music.

"Um, not really," Chuck said.

"Well, try it," Sarah said.

"Okay," Chuck said, "here goes nothing."

Chuck tried to mimic the way Sarah was moving. He felt ridiculous, but he wasn't going to ruin Sarah's fun.

The song seemed to take forever to finish, and by the time it was over, Chuck was out of breath.

"That was hard," Chuck said, trying to get his breath back.

"It gets easier once you know what you're doing," Sarah said, smiling. "Thanks."

"For what?" asked Chuck as his breathing started to slow.

"For dancing with me even though you thought it was crazy," Sarah said.

"I didn't think it was crazy," Chuck said.

"Chuck, it was written all over your face," Sarah said. "You thought the dance was crazy."

"No, I didn't," Chuck protested. "I thought that it was different, not crazy. I just didn't expect you to like hip hop and rap."

"Well, I'm full of surprises," Sarah said.

"That you are," Chuck agreed. "Now what?"

"Want to try a different dance?" Sarah asked.

"Why not?" Chuck asked. "I'm game."

"Okay," Sarah said happily. "Just let me start this song over."

Sarah walked to the radio and pressed restart. The song started playing again. Amazingly, now that he was listening, Chuck recognized the song. He didn't know the dance very well, but he knew some of it.

"Ready?" Sarah asked.

"Ready," Chuck answered.

_Soulja boy up in this Ohh  
Watch me crank it  
Watch me roll  
Watch me crank dat soulja boy  
Then super man dat Ohh  
Now watch me yooooouuuu!  
(crank dat soulja boy)  
Now watch me yooooouuuu!  
(crank dat soulja boy)  
Now watch me yooooouuuu!  
(crank dat soulja boy)  
Now watch me yooooouuuu!  
(crank dat soulja boy)_

_Soulja boy up in this Ohh  
Watch me lean and watch me rock  
Super man dat Ohh  
Then watch me crank dat robocop  
Super fresh, now watch me jock  
Jocking on them hataz man  
When i do dat soulja boy  
I lean to the left and crank dat thang _

Chuck and Sarah danced to the music. It was obvious that neither of them could do the dance well, but they weren't horrible. All that really mattered was that they were having fun. Both were smiling and singing along.

The song ended a few minutes later. When it did, Sarah walked over to the radio and turned it off.

"That was fun," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, it was," Chuck agreed. "Now what?"

"We go to sleep?" suggested Sarah.

"I'm not tired," Chuck said.

"Are you hungry?" asked Sarah.

"No, I ate at work," answered Chuck.

"Then what can we do?" Sarah asked.

Chuck smiled and Sarah knew what he was going to say.

"I don't want to," Sarah whined.

"I danced with you," Chuck pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't dance all that often and you had fun," Sarah argued.

"You know you like the movie," Chuck said. "And we don't watch it that often."

"We've watched it at least three times a week!" Sarah protested.

"Then you should know it well," Chuck said. "Come on, please?"

Sarah couldn't resist Chuck's puppy dog eyes, so she reluctantly agreed.

"Yes!" Chuck said excitedly. "I knew you would agree!"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "Hurry up and put the movie in before I change my mind."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck said as he ran to the shelf of movies.

Sarah went to the kitchen to make popcorn. When she came back Chuck had everything set up the way they liked it. Her favorite blanket was on the couch and Chuck was waiting for her to get in her spot.

Sarah sat down and placed the popcorn on the coffee table. She snuggled herself into her spot beside Chuck.

"Okay," she said. "start the movie."

"_Serenity _is more than just a movie, Sarah," Chuck said.

"Start it or I'm getting up," Sarah threatened.

Chuck wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Think you can get out of this?" he asked playfully.

"Yes, I do," Sarah said. "Just play the movie, Chuck. I'm tired."

"Then why don't you go to bed?" asked Chuck, loosening his hold on Sarah.

"Because I don't want to," Sarah said.

"Admit it," Chuck said, grinning. "You like _Serenity." _

_"_Fine, I like _Serenity," _Sarah said.

"I knew it!" Chuck said.

"Play the movie, Chuck" Sarah said.

"Okay," Chuck said, pressing play on the remote.

"Thank you," Sarah said, snuggling herself in her spot in Chuck's arms.

"You're welcome," Chuck said before turning his attention to the movie.

Before the movie was even halfway over, Sarah was asleep. When Chuck realized that she was asleep, he paused the movie.

_She really was tired, _he thought. _She usually watches this movie more intently than I do._

He gently shifted, so that he could pick her up. Holding her in his arms, he carried her to the bedroom. He carefully laid her on the bed.

_The clothes she's wearing could qualify as pajamas, right? _Chuck asked himself.

After a few minutes of debating with himself, he decided that Sarah could sleep in her clothes. He didn't want to wake her up to dress herself and he would feel extremely weird if he dressed her.

He tucked Sarah in bed and then went to the living room to turn off the television. He came back into the bedroom to get his pajamas and then he went to the bathroom to change.

When he came back, he carefully got into the bed next to Sarah.

Like she knew he was there, Sarah snuggled herself closer to him.

"Good night, Sarah," he said, taking her into his arms and drifting off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Chuck and Sarah were tired. They had gone on a mission earlier that day and while the mission was successful, their bodies were sore. After the mission they couldn't return home because they were needed at their "normal" jobs, so Sarah went to the Orange Orange and Chuck went to the Buy More. Their shifts finally came to an end at 6 o'clock and Chuck and Sarah gratefully headed home.

By the time they got back to their apartment, it was raining heavily. Neither cared though. Sarah loved the rain and Chuck just wanted to get inside.

After they walked in the door, Chuck immediately turned on his Xbox. Sarah, on the other hand, went to her bookshelf. By the time Chuck finished setting up Call of Duty 4, Sarah was back with her book. They both sat down on the couch.

Chuck played his game with great concentration. He would press the buttons faster than Sarah thought possible and mumble to himself. Sometimes he would even jerk the controller around as if it would help him in the game.

Sarah also concentrated hard on her book. Reading was one of the things that she enjoyed. Almost like a hobby. Unlike watching television, reading a book was something she could do whenever she wanted. She wouldn't have to catch up to know what the characters were doing. She could read a chapter of a book and then not read another chapter for months and everything would still be the same. Currently she was reading a book by Lee Cannon that she had purchased a few days earlier.

The two had been enjoying their hobbies for about two hours. Chuck had come to the part where he could take a shot at Zakhaev and Sarah had come to a very interesting part of her book when the power suddenly went out.

"Crap!" Chuck exclaimed, futilely pressing buttons on his controller.

Sarah let out an annoyed breath and used a bookmark to keep her place in her book.

"I'll go get the flashlight," she told Chuck who didn't seem to be listening.

Being a trained agent, Sarah was able to successfully navigate the apartment and find a flashlight. She returned to the living room a minute later only to find Chuck still pressing buttons on his controller.

"I highly doubt that doing that will cause the power to come back on," Sarah told him.

"I know," Chuck said, giving up he placed the controller on the coffee table, "but I was just _so _close to killing Zakhaev."

"And I was almost finished with my book," Sarah said, "but we can't do anything about the power, so I guess we'll just have to deal with it."

"Fine," Chuck said, then he saw that Sarah was holding a flashlight. "What's with the flashlight?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Sarah replied. "While I can't read, I can still see you. But I was taught to always have a flashlight at hand in case the power went out, so I do."

"Hmm, okay," Chuck said. "Can I see it for a minute?"

"Sure," Sarah said, handing Chuck the flashlight while simultaneously sitting down on the couch.

Once Chuck had possession of the flashlight, he held it under his chin to create an eerie glow. "Muah ha ha ha," he laughed, trying to sound scary. "On a dark and cold night a long, long time ago there was a man who—"

Sarah snatched the flashlight away from him, interrupting his story. "Uh-uh," she said. "No ghost stories."

"Then what can we do?" Chuck asked, surprised that Sarah had taken the flashlight away from him. "I can't play Xbox with the power out and it's too dark for you to read."

Sarah thought for a minute. "Well," she began, "we can play a game."

"The only games I have are video games and, again, I can't play them with no electricity," Chuck said. "And it's too dark to play one of your many board games."

"We can play the Random Fact Game," Sarah suggested.

"I've never heard of that game," Chuck said.

"That's because I just made it up," Sarah explained.

"Oh, well, then," Chuck asked, "how do you play?"

"Hmm, each person starts off with twenty points and they have ten seconds to come up with a random fact," Sarah said, obviously making it up as she went along. "If the person doesn't come up with a fact within those ten seconds than he or she loses a point. The game ends when one or all people lose their points. The winner has the most."

"Is that it?" Chuck asked, suddenly interested in this "random fact" game.

"Um, no," Sarah decided after some thought. "There are three saves. You can use capitals of states, countries, or whatever twice. And you can use an opinion once. Also—"

"What do you mean when you say "opinion"?" Chuck asked, interrupting her.

"Like if I say "Carrie Underwood is awesome.", as much as I'd like to think of that as a solid fact, it's an opinion. One shared by many, but still just an opinion."

"I see," Chuck said. "Okay, what is the third save?"

"You can share one story from your past and that will count as a "personal fact", but you can only do that once," Sarah said.

"I think I understand," Chuck said, "but what happens when someone wins?"

"Well, then the loser will have to give up something for a day," Sarah said. "Like if I win then you'll have to give up your video games or something."

"How long are we going to play," asked Chuck. "And who said you're going to win?"

"Well, I am a highly seasoned CIA agent," Sarah said. "I've traveled the world. I'm sure I know more than you."

"Sarah, honey, I am a nerd," Chuck said. "Obviously I will know more facts than you."

"I guess we'll see," Sarah said. "Who goes first?"

"You?" Chuck asked. "I mean, ladies are supposed to go first and everything."

"Chicken," Sarah said, smiling at him. "Okay, more than ten people a year are killed by vending machines."

"Hmm, I might have to have a talk with Jeff if that's true," Chuck said.

"It is," Sarah said. "Now your turn."

"Um," Chuck thought for a moment, "India has a Bill of Rights for cows."

"Really?" asked Sarah. "That's interesting and seemingly pointless. I'll have to research that."

"Times running out," Chuck said, tapping his watch.

"Fine," Sarah said, "in Texas it's illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow."

"Okay, well I'll remember not to do that the next time I'm in Texas," Chuck said. "Hmm, in 1845, Boston had an ordinance banning bathing unless you had a doctor's prescription."

"That's gross," Sarah said. "Okay, well, termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music."

"That's just crazy," Chuck said, "but I believe you. Heavy metal music can cause some strange things to happen. My turn, so in New York City, approximately 1,600 people are bitten by other humans every year."

"And that is creepy," Sarah said. "Bet it's all of the vampire stuff that's floating around."

"Maybe so, but it's your turn now," Chuck said.

"Okay," Sarah said, "pound for pound, a hamster can consume 50 times more alcohol than a human."

"Hmm, interesting," Chuck said. "Um, hypnotism is banned by public schools in San Diego."

"I knew that," Sarah said. "Well, it's illegal in Alabama to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church."

"That seems like a strange law," Chuck said. "Okay, in Nebraska, it is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup."

"Hmm, well, I think I've heard people say that drinking on an empty stomach isn't good, so maybe it's related," Sarah said. "And for my fact, you're subject to fines and/or imprisonment for making ugly faces at dogs in Oklahoma."

"Which you probably know because Carrie's from Oklahoma," Chuck said. "So most cell phone antennas have no purpose other than to make people believe that flipping up a two-inch antenna just gave them better reception. They are not connected to any circuitry."

"And you probably know that from working at the Buy More," Sarah said. "Harry S. Truman was the last U.S. President with no college degree."

The first game lasted well over twenty minutes before Chuck lost. The second game lasted about ten minutes before Sarah lost. The two had to turn the flashlight on before they started their third game. Nearly thirteen minutes passed before Sarah had to use one of her saves in the third game.

"Crap," she said. "Out of facts again. Okay, Jill is a b—"

"No dissing my ex," Chuck said.

"But it's just my honest opinion," Sarah said an innocent look on her face. "Okay, fine. Pop-Tarts come from Texas."

"Is that a fact?" Chuck asked.

"No," Sarah said. "It's more of an opinion I guess. My dad told me one time when I was little that Pop-Tarts come from Texas and I believed him. So now it's like a joke between us."

"Where do Pop-Tarts come from then?" asked Chuck.

"I'll use that for my next fact," Sarah said, "but now it's your turn and you have like two seconds left."

"Um, you're really beautiful," Chuck blurted out before he could think of something else. "And that's a fact."

"Actually it's an opinion," Sarah said. "And it will not score you any point, Chuck."

"Okay, well, you are," Chuck said. "Now where do Pop-Tarts come from?"

"Michigan," Sarah said.

"Interesting," Chuck said, "but Texas just seems more fitting."

"That's what my dad said," Sarah told Chuck. "Okay, your turn again."

"I'm out of facts and I've used almost all of my saves," Chuck said, "so time for a story. Um, when I was in seventh grade I was tall and awkward. But there was this one girl who like _like-liked _me or at least that's what Morgan told me one day. So I went up to her and asked her out on a date. You know, I thought I was being really cool for a seventh grader because not many could actually take a girl out on a date. They'd just say they were "going with" whoever. Anyway, the girl surprisingly said yes and we went to the movies and that night I had my first kiss."

"Hmm, cute," Sarah said. "My first kiss happened almost like that except I was the girl. But I am also out of facts and almost all of my saves, so I guess you get to hear a not so cute story from my past."

"Really?" Chuck asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes," Sarah said. "Okay well my senior prom sucked. It was horrible. I went by myself because my dad forced me to. He said that I would have fun and it would be a night I would always remember. He was right about one thing. Anyway, long story short, my dress ended up getting ripped and I was embarrassed in front of the whole school. It was pathetic especially since it was my fault. I was wearing heels and I tripped on a cord. My dress ripped and I hurt myself."

"Hmm, that really isn't happy," Chuck said. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Sarah said. "It could have been worse."

"I guess," Chuck said, "but that still wasn't cool."

"No, it wasn't," Sarah said. "So I guess this means that this game is a tie?"

"Guess so," Chuck said. "And that means that the entire game was a tie, because you won once and I won once."

"Oh, well," Sarah said. "It was fun."

"Yes, it was," Chuck said. "It would also be a great game to play when stuck in traffic."

"True," Sarah said. "Now what?"

"Well, it's stopped raining," Chuck said, so now the power comes back on."

And just at that moment the power _did _comeback on. The bright lights and the noise from the television kind of shocked them after a little over an hour with neither.

"Wow, Chuck," Sarah said after she became used to the light and noise. "That was pretty good timing."

"That wasn't timing, babe," Chuck said, trying to sound cool. "I'm magical."

"Uh-huh, sure you are," Sarah said with a laugh.

"I am!" Chuck protested, trying to keep a semi-straight face.

"Okay," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Do you know what time it is?"

"Hmm," Chuck checked his watch, "it's a little after 9 o'clock."

"Thanks," Sarah said. "I'm tired, so I guess I'm going to bed."

"Really?" Chuck asked. "Just like that?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, yawning. "We had a long day and I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Well, okay, Miss Responsible," Chuck said. "I guess I'll go to bed too."

"That's okay," Sarah said. "You can finish your game."

"No, all of the progress I made today has been erased," said Chuck. "Besides I am tired too."

"Then we should go to bed instead of talking about going to bed," Sarah said.

"Okay," Chuck agreed.

The two went into the bedroom and got their pajamas. Chuck changed in the bathroom, while Sarah changed in the bedroom. Soon they were both ready for bed.

Because they had been living together for the past few months, they were both pretty comfortable with the sleeping arrangments. So they quickly climbed into bed and got into their favorite sleeping position. Sarah laid with her back to Chuck and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

They fell asleep within minutes. Sarah, doing what an agent does best, completely stopped thinking about anything and just went to sleep. Chuck, on the other hand, thought about how he was going to surprise Sarah. He just had to figure out how to do that.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so unedited again. But this time you can blame OC because she wouldn't even respond to my PM asking her to edit. Maybe she's sick or something because I can't recall seeing her in a while, but then again, I forget easily. Oh, never mind. She just posted. Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that. At least I am here this time.**

**All facts are true as far as I know. Pretty interesting too. **

**Also this chapter is dedicated to Reen426 from Strahotski whose birthday I missed...kind of, so this is like an unbirthday gift. She also doesn't mind it when I share random facts with her. So happy unbirthday, Reen! :D**

**Ooohhh, and Edwin from Strahotski also helped with the Xbox thing. So thanks to him. :)**

**Now I need you guys to review. "To review" rhymes, right? To. Review. Do. New. Blue. Sue. Yeah, it rhymes.**

**By the way, you can vote for you favorite authors and stories here: .net/forum/TWoP_Kicked_Us_Out_But_We_Still_Love_Chuck/49974/ . You will have to put fanfiction in the address though.**

**Sorry about the rambling. I do that sometimes.**

**Random fact: I love reviews! :)**

**Your turn. ;-)**


	10. A Bartowski Christmas

_A/N: So it's been a while since I've updated this particular fic. Haha. I figured that for Christmas, I'd bring it back from the dead. Enjoy! And I hope you've had a very merry Christmas and will have an especially happy New Year's. :D_

_

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_

Sarah didn't want to wake up and start the day. That was why she kept her eyes closed. She was snuggled against Chuck and she was quite comfortable. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, at that moment she just wanted to lay there next to him for the rest of the day. But it was time to get up. She knew because the alarm clock had already gone off three times. And each time it did, she had been tempted to kill it with her knife, but that would have meant moving from her current position next to Chuck and she was just too comfortable for that. Luckily, Chuck had hit the snooze button without disturbing her comfortableness.

_Why does it have to be Christmas? _Sarah thought to herself as she snuggled herself closer to Chuck. _I am not ready to get up and I won't be for a while._

Just then, Chuck started gently rubbing her back. The super spy let out a contented sigh. She definitely did not want to get out of bed.

"Sarah," Chuck whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "it's time to wake up."

"I don't wanna," she mumbled, burying herself under the blankets. "'S too early. Five more minutes. Please, Chuck?"

She silently laughed to herself. There was no way Chuck would ever be able to turn anything she asked down. It just wasn't him. She waited for the, "Okay, Sarah, five more minutes," that eventually came before she peeked out from under the covers.

"Fine," Sarah said, playfully rolling her eyes, "it _is _time to get up. We do have to go meet up with your sister for the _Bartowski Christmas Extravaganza. _I just don't see why we have to get up so early. I mean, it's eight o'clock in the morning!"

Chuck laughed, "Sarah, I promise. It'll be totally worth it. I know that you don't like waking up earlier than you have to, and this is the only real day off you've had for a while but, trust me, you'll have fun."

"And what makes you so sure about that?" Sarah asked, skeptical.

"Well," Chuck began, "for starters, you'll be with me."

"Ha!" Sarah laughed. "I think I'd have more fun with you if we just stayed in bed."

_Crap! _she thought, immediately regretting her words. That's not what she meant. Well, it was but she didn't mean it that way. Or at least she didn't think she did. _Stupid tired brain. I can never think after I first wake up. Hurry! Think of something else to say!_

"I, um, meant," she started, "that I'd prefer sleeping with you than going to one of Ellie's parties."

_Oh my God, _she berated herself. _What? "I'd prefer sleeping with you"? Geez, Walker. Get a grip on yourself. Look what you're doing to Chuck. He's blushing! Oh, he's blushing. He's so cute. Mmm, I like having that affect on him. Wait, no, I have to say something else. Something that doesn't involve us sleeping together._

"That's not really what I meant either," Sarah said. "I just meant that—"

"Shh," Chuck interrupted her, putting both of them out of misery, "I think I know what you meant."

"Good," Sarah smiled, embarrassed. "Now we should, uh, probably get ready to leave."

"Great idea," Chuck agreed. But neither of them moved.

_Why does this bed have to be so freakin' comfortable? _Sarah asked herself. _Walker, you know it's not the bed that's keeping you from getting up. It's that adorable nerd you can't help yourself from falli—_

Sarah shook her head, interrupting her own thoughts, as she made the first move to get out of the bed. She sat up and yawned. After her feet touched the floor, she realized that the room was a bit chilly. Sarah wanted to crawl back under the covers, but she persevered and made it fully out of the bed. A minute or so later, Chuck followed.

She walked over to her dresser to get some underwear. Before she actually opened the drawer, she turned to Chuck and asked, "Do you want to shower first or should I?"

"Hmm, you can go," Chuck said from the closet, where he was selecting his outfit for the day. "Besides, I don't need to shower right now. Remember? I got one last night."

"Oh, yeah," Sarah mused, remembering the image of Chuck from the night before, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. She shook her head, "I remember. And, um, if I were you, I'd go with the blue-striped button-down shirt with the long-sleeves and those jeans that I like so much."

"Right," Chuck said, hanging the shirt and pair of pants he had picked out and exchanging them for the ones Sarah recommended, "okay."

"Okay," Sarah said, opening the top drawer of her dresser and selecting a pair panties and a matching bra. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes."

"I'm looking forward to it," Chuck said with that smile of his, the smile that always made her go weak in the knees.

She smiled back and then made her way to the bathroom. It was a short walk and she quickly found herself in the bathroom. After she shut the door, she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

_You're losing control of yourself, _she thought. _You were this close to doing something regretful out there. Oh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't have regretted anything. And, therein, lies the problem. Maybe I should ask for a reassignment. Just kidding yourself again, Walker. You won't ever do that._

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had always been the type of person to overanalyze everything. It was a blessing when it came to being a spy but it was a curse when she was trying to be a normal woman. In this case, it was a curse.

She placed her clothes on the bathroom counter and walked over to the shower. She turned the knob and let the water run. While waiting for it to get to the temperature she desired, she shed her pajamas, one of Chuck's shirts and a pair of boy shorts.

Once she was unclothed, she held her hand under the running water to make sure it wasn't too hot, or too cold. When she deemed the temperature just right, she stepped into the shower.

Twenty minutes after she had entered the bathroom, Sarah walked into the bedroom. She was clad in just her underwear and bra, which caught Chuck, who was sitting on the bed messing with his iPhone, off-guard. He had looked up as soon as she entered the room, much to Sarah's delight, and looked down immediately when he saw that she wasn't fully dressed.

"It's okay, Chuck," she smiled.

"Really?" Chuck asked, looking up at her before turning his embarrassed gaze back to his phone.

"Yeah, not exactly like I was trying to hide from you, you're not a voyeur or anything," Sarah answered. _You can even touch, if you want to. _"I mean, you are supposed to be my boyfriend. And last I checked, boyfriends were allowed to look at their girlfriends."

"I know," Chuck said, "but I don't want you to think that I'm being—"

"Perverted?" Sarah offered with a smile. "Don't worry, Chuck. I know you better than that. You can look all you want. It's absolutely fine with me. I get looked at all of the time, even when I'm wearing clothes, but, the way you look at me is different and I like the way it makes me feel."

"And how does it make you feel?" Chuck asked, looking her in the eyes.

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged, as she walked towards the closet to get some clothes.

"Oh, okay," Chuck answered, even though he wished that she had given him a straight answer.

Because the truth was that Sarah knew exactly how his look made her feel. It made her feel special. Chuck wasn't looking at her like she was a piece of meat or just a pretty girl he wanted to add to his list of conquests. He looked at her like she was the prettiest girl in the world and that he was just lucky to be in the same room as her. He looked at her with such genuine feeling that it made her feel something that she couldn't explain.

Sarah felt that way as she stood in front of the closet, trying to pick out an outfit that matched Chuck's. She could feel his gaze on her and she was having trouble thinking. Finally, she settled for a blue top that went well with Chuck's shirt and a pair of tight jeans, along with a light sweater.

"So," she said to break the silence, as she walked back to the bed and laid her clothes down, "tell me why this Christmas party is so special."

"Well," Chuck began, "for starters, there's Ellie's famous French toast. It's like one of the only traditions we keep up with each year. And to get it, we need to be there by nine thirty, which is in about forty-five minutes. Then we watch a Christmas movie or two, of Ellie's choice, of course. After that, Ellie breaks out the food she spent hours and hours cooking and we eat a late lunch or early dinner, depending on your perspective. When dinner is over, we all pile into our various vehicles and drive around looking at all of the Christmas lights. After an hour or so of that, we head back home and exchange Christmas presents. Then to wrap up the night, we eat some leftovers and talk about our day's adventures."

"Hmm, that does sound fun," Sarah said, straightening out her outfit. "Do you know how many people are going to be there this year?"

"Um, well," Chuck thought out loud, "there's Ellie and Awesome, me and you, Morgan and Anna, and Ellie invited Casey and Kathleen, so eight people give or take an extra."

"Great," she said, walking to the front door of the apartment. "That doesn't sound like the crowd Ellie usually has for parties. Let's go. I'm starving."

"Haha," Chuck laughed, getting up from the bed and following Sarah, "okay, okay. I'm coming."

The couple was out the door and in the car on their way to Ellie's apartment in less than five minutes. Because Sarah was driving, they were actually at Ellie's apartment thirty minutes after they had left their own apartment, a record.

Sarah parked the car and the two got out. They held hands as they walked to Ellie's front door. Without knocking, Chuck opened the door for Sarah.

"After you, milady," he said with a grin.

"Why thank you, dear sir," Sarah pretended to curtsy before entering the apartment.

"Ellie!" Chuck yelled as he followed Sarah into the living room of the apartment. "We're here!"

"Good!" they heard Ellie yell back from the kitchen. "You're just in time for the French toast!"

"Oh, yay!" Sarah quietly exclaimed as she rushed to the kitchen with Chuck in tow.

Once in the kitchen, Sarah saw that Morgan and Anna, Casey and his girlfriend Kathleen, and Awesome and Ellie were all seated at the table already. She and Chuck quickly took their seats, which seemed to be the sign for everyone to start eating.

After everybody had served themselves, Ellie started a conversation by saying, "So how has everyone's morning been so far?"

A round of "good"s and "great"s followed as the members of the party all ate contentedly. Ellie was pleased and didn't say anything else.

The breakfast lasted roughly an hour and consisted of several conversations of small talk that everyone participated in and seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Ellie and Chuck cleared the dishes from the table and put them into the sink, while everyone else gathered in the living room, talking and waiting for the movie to begin.

"So, Sarah," Kathleen began, "how's your relationship with Chuck going?"

"Ha, um," Sarah forced a laugh, "it's going really well. We're happy."

"Well, that's obvious," Kathleen leaned over and whispered, "but do you think it's going anywhere? I mean, do you see marriage in the near future? John told me that you two have been going out for quite some time now. He seems afraid that you two aren't moving forward."

"Oh," Sarah raised an eyebrow, "he is? That's funny. But, no, I don't foresee marriage in the near future. Maybe sometime later, much later, but right now we're happy."

"That's good," Kathleen smiled in a good-natured way. "See, John, they're fine."

"Um, good," Casey replied gruffly, shooting Sarah an embarrassed and apologetic look.

"I'm going to go make some popcorn," Sarah said, getting up from her spot on the couch and leaving Casey and Kathleen alone to talk about whatever it was people of their age talked about.

"Hey, Sarah," Chuck greeted her when she entered the kitchen, "what are you doing?'

"Oh, I just thought that I'd make some popcorn," Sarah said. "'Cause, you know, it's not a movie without popcorn. And, well, John's girlfriend was asking about our relationship and you know how I don't really like to talk about my personal life."

"Ah," Chuck said, "right. Yeah, I know. Come on, I'll help you make the popcorn."

Ellie washed the dishes while Chuck and Sarah made the popcorn. Twenty minutes later, the three walked into the living room with two big bowls of popcorn. They laid them on the coffee table and Ellie went to her room to get the movies.

When Ellie returned, everyone had dug into the popcorn. She held the dvds behind her back, wanting her selection to be a surprise. She put the first movie in the dvd player and started it. Devon turned off the lights and closed the blinds. Everyone got settled into their spots and readied themselves for the movie.

The opening of the movie immediately gave itself away to everyone, except Sarah and Casey. However, out of the two, Sarah was the only one who wanted to know what the movie was.

"Hey, Chuck," she whispered to him, "what movie is this?"

"It's _Elf_," he answered. "Surely, you've seen it."

"Um, no," Sarah shook her head. "I haven't."

"Well, then," Chuck started, "you're in for a great movie. Just sit back and relax. I'm telling you, this movie is one of the best Christmas movies ever."

"Sshh!" whispered Casey obnoxiously, grinning. "I can't hear the movie"

"Sorry, Casey," Chuck laughed."Come on, Sarah, just enjoy the movie."

"Alright," Sarah said, snuggling herself closer to him.

The group watched the movie and everyone, especially Sarah, thoroughly enjoyed it. After the first movie, Ellie put in _A Christmas Story. _Another classic, Chuck had told Sarah. And it was another movie that she enjoyed.

Once the movie watching was over, everyone went into the kitchen for lunch. The meal was quickly eaten and the leftovers put away because everybody was excited to go see the Christmas lights. They covered themselves up and headed to their respective cars. They drove around the surrounding L.A. area and took in all of the sights and sounds of a Hollywood Christmas. Several hours passed before they all headed back to Ellie's apartment to exchange gifts.

Everyone was gathered around the Christmas tree. Ellie handed out stockings to everyone and they all opened the little gifts and trinkets. Sarah had one gift in her stocking that was particularly important. It was a necklace that Chuck had apparently gotten her, although she had no idea how. She was in charge of looking over all of his purchases to make sure that none of them caused any suspicion and the golden necklace with the small diamond pendant was never on any of the receipts.

"Chuck," she asked, as he put the necklace around her neck per Ellie's request, "when did you buy this? How did you buy this?"

"I've been saving up money," Chuck said simply. "And I had Casey buy it for me. I know that you check all of my purchases and I wanted you to be surprised."

"Well," Sarah laughed, "I certainly am surprised."

"Good," Chuck smiled, sitting back down next to Sarah. "That's what I wanted."

Everyone opened their other gifts. Sarah had received quite a pile of stuff. It was the most presents she had ever received and she was especially grateful. The thing that made her happiest, though, was Chuck's joyful reaction to the present she had bought him, a rare and mint condition copy of an original _Action Comics #1_.

After the last present had been opened, everyone crowded into the kitchen for dinner. Ellie had been going back and forth from the living room to watch everyone open their presents and take pictures and open her own gifts to the kitchen to reheat the leftovers.

Dinner went by slower than lunch. Each person exchanging thank-yous and you're welcomes to each other. But it was over eventually and not a moment too soon for Sarah. She was tired.

Sarah and Chuck had said all of their goodbyes and were almost out of the apartment when Morgan exclaimed, "Look! Chuck and Sarah are standing under the mistletoe!"

That led to cheers and whistles from the group, obviously expecting them to kiss. Even Casey was cheering, but that may have just been because Kathleen was standing next to him.

"We don't have to kiss," Chuck whispered to Sarah, "not if you don't want to."

Sarah paused for a moment and licked her lips thoughtfully, then she said, "It's tradition."

She leaned forward and met Chuck's lips with her own. The kiss started off simple enough but somehow Sarah found her tongue dancing with Chuck's. She wasn't sure how long they had been kissing and, frankly, she didn't care. She loved the way kissing him felt. It was when Chuck's hand started traveling up her shirt, leading to cat calls from the men in the room and embarrassed giggles from the women, that she and Chuck realized that they weren't alone and had been kissing for longer than tradition called for.

"Ha," Sarah laughed, after they had broken the kiss, "I guess we got a little carried away."

"I would say," Casey smirked. "Maybe you two should head home."

"Good idea," Chuck said, breathless. "Merry Christmas, everyone! See you later."

"Oh, Chuck!" Ellie said, getting up and holding two bags. "Don't forget your presents!"

Chuck and Sarah took their bags, smiled, and thanked Ellie for the wonderful time. And with that, they left the apartment and headed to Sarah's car and to their own apartment. The Bartowski Christmas Extravaganza was over, but the fun had just begun.

* * *

_A/N: Well, there you have it. SLWF's Christmas fic. Haha. Tell me what you thought about it! Good or bad reviews, I would love to hear your opinion! Thanks for reading!_

_Thanks go to Pizza (sgafan360) for the beta!_

_Made it just in time to say I posted Christmas day. :p_


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